Love Bites
by Tenkyoen
Summary: AU/Vampire fic! Ch 4: Blood. So, Two Vampires, an Ice Demon, and a Depressed Ghost meet in a deserted alleyway...Nothing can go right, but it makes for an exiting read! New Chapter Up! HichixIchi
1. Hunted

**Title: _Love Bites (AKA: Of Whom We Choose To Drink)_**

**Disclaimer:** Though I come up with several strange ideas, all characters' names, personalities, and places, belong to the almighty master Tite Kubo. --bows worshipingly--

**Rated:** T+ for yaoi, cursing, and…blood! (not sure if the rating should be upped or not)

**Pairings:** IchiHichi (possible side parings later)

**Summary:** AU/Vampire Fic! Ichigo returns to an empty home from a long day at school, and his day is about to get longer when he finds a mysterious creature that attacks him! Will anyone come to his rescue? …And if so…at what cost? Ichi/Hichi-- Vamp!Shiro. Some Crack and Self-insertion!

**A/N PLEASE READ:** I'm not a big fan of the regular "rules" of being a vampire so just forget most of the stuff you know about them…if you can… Anywhos-Just giving ya a fair warning that I'll be making up most of the rules and they will get sorta complicated… Sorry if that bothers anyone! ; …--laughs nervously-- Heh…what I really should be warning you about are my awful writing skills…--sulks--

**Chapter Edit:** FYI, this chapter has been recently edited (again) for spelling and other errors. None of the content has been changed.

**Ch 1 Hunted**

--cackles maniacally-- "BWAHAHA!! FIRST FANFIC EVER!!"

"What are you doing?" Ishida entered the girl's room with a suspicious glare, knowing that if the authoress was laughing then whatever it is couldn't be good.

Said Authoress turned and smiled. A very creepy smile. Creepy and sadistic to be exact.

"I started the fanfic."

Ishida's eyes opened in horror, glasses almost falling off his face. He quickly regained his composure and would later deny that his mouth was gaping open about two feet from the floor. "So, it's finally happened." He adjusted his glasses again and crossed his arms. "After months of reading as many of _those_…" Ishida gave a seething glare. The authoress just smiled innocently. "…_fan fictions_…as possible and mulling over several ideas you actually picked up a keyboard. I thought you were afraid of commitment…and flamers."

"Ha!" The Authoress gave a bemused glare and pointed accusingly at the Quincy. "Afraid of commitment..._me?!_ You know it's only because when I write something I instantly hate it!" Ishida smiled and the authoress realized she needed to get even. "…and speaking of commitment….How's Orihime? It's been three weeks ya know…"

This obviously caught the Quincy off guard as he began to sputter off random excuses for not calling her.

"Psh. Whatever helps you sleep at night. And don't worry about those flamers, I gots me a gardening hose."

"But it's not hooked up to any source of water."

"WELLL DUH!" She flailed her arms about while holding said gardening hose. "I could barely afford the damn hose and you expect me to be able to pay for utilities?!"

"…Then how does that take care of flamers?"

Another malicious grin. "I'll show ya."--Authoress turns to readers-- "Sorry this is taking so long, just go ahead and read, I'll be back wit' ya in a bit!" --proceeds to try to loop hose around Quincy's neck--

--

"SHE'S NOT WORTH IT!!"

-my friend while watching Byakuya get stabbed by Gin while saving Rukia…

--

"Ugh….I hate Mondays." A familiar scowl set upon a certain familiar teen's face as he lazily trudged home. It was getting close to the end of the school year, which apparently flicks a little switch inside all teachers' heads that makes them assign homework like crazy. (A/N: Seriously! WTH?!) The depressed redhead allowed another sigh to escape him as he crossed over a second street.

Seriously…Four projects due by the end of the semester?! Don't those teachers talk to each other?!

Ichigo stopped and shifted his backpack. _God, this thing is heavy._ One of said projects required a partner, and, said teenager had been the _oh-so-fortunate_ one to be paired with Ishida. _Come to think of it, he sure was acting oddly today…_ Ishida was the one who had stuck him with carrying all the supplies home, but the weirdest thing was that he had come to class late with the excuse of: _"A Psychotic Authoress tried to strangle me with a garden hose!"_ Ichigo new the sewing-master teen was pathetic at excuses, but come on!

Ichigo paused in his thoughts when he suddenly felt icy all over and a prickly feeling ran up his spine, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. _What?!..._ He couldn't explain the sudden feeling that came over him. It was like…like…

I'm being watched.

The teenager turned on his heels to glare down a relatively empty street. Except for the occasional car or passerby, no one was there. And it was midday. It wasn't like he was some teenage girl in the middle of a dark alleyway at night. (A/N: Ha! that's what _you _think!-Okay, I'll shut up now…) There was nothing to worry about. _Then why do I feel so…vulnerable?_ That last thought creeped up into his mind, picking at it. But, just as soon as the feeling came, it went. Ichigo shook his head to regain his composure as he continued to walk home.

_It was probably nothing…_

The mysterious pale figure stood, as if he were on solid ground, above the city at about a good hundred yards. He was looking down curiously at a certain redhead who had stopped in his movements and was looking around like someone was behind him. The figure hitched for a moment, thinking he might have been found out, but he soon remembered how high up he was. It was awfully hard for simple humans to spot a white speck such as him when he was this far up. _Still…_The teenager had then shook his head and continued walking.

"Good thing 'e didn' look up." He couldn't help but let out a small laugh that sounded oddly like little insane giggles. An impossibly wide grin spread across the figure's face, almost splitting it in half. His mouth opened farther, revealing impressively large, elegantly shaped fangs that seemed to glimmer in the sun. An azure tongue slowly snaked across their surface.

"Foun' ya."

--

Malicious black and red eyes scanned the ransacked room hungrily. The 'thing' that belonged to those eyes was wearing an odd, skeletal-like mask that would only be seen around Halloween. He was taller and bigger than a normal man, but that wasn't exactly what would have led someone to believe that he wasn't human. The vicious fangs and large gaping hole in his chest covered that job quite well.

The eyes rocked back and forth in their sockets again, mask unmoving. The room had been strangely simple for the type of person that lived there. There was a bed with a nightstand in one corner, a desk beside it, and a closet on one side of the room, which was now disheveled into an unrecognizable mess. What was once the bed now laid across several parts of the room looking like it had been ripped apart by something similar to claws, the desk was busted in two, paper strewn all over the floor, and the closet door had been ripped off, most of its contents getting the same treatment as the bed.

The intoxicating scent he had followed halfway across this 'Karakura Town' was at its most potent here. It was so strong that his mouth was watering in anticipation, knowing the human the scent belonged to was coming closer and closer to this location. Normally he would have spent several days mulling over and analyzing the smell of the human's blood, stalking him and learning of his whereabouts. It made the hunt that much more…_enjoyable_.

Alas, this prey needed to be taken quickly. One reason being that the creature hadn't feasted in days, and this was some of the best blood he had smelled in an excruciatingly long time. But the main intent for his haste is that the room was also tainted with a relatively new scent. It was another creature, much like himself, but with some odd attributes that confused the hunter thoroughly. He could tell by the lingering smell that said creature was much stronger than him, and was probably planning to feast upon the very same human he was waiting for. He hated to eat and run, but this human was much too delicious to pass up, and he knew he didn't have much time.

The mysterious creature moved out of the room and quickly traveled down the stairs to the first floor. His prey was only about a couple of houses away, and he needed to find a—

He turned to see a giant poster of a beautiful woman, which read 'Masaki Forever'. His eyes narrowed. _Why does she look so familiar?!..._ A sadistic fanged grin appeared on his face. _Of course…when was that? 5 years ago maybe?…_He licked his lips, savoring as he remembered the taste of the woman that died trying to protect her eldest child. His grin grew even wider and he knew exactly how to _lure_ his next meal in…

--

"Dad! Karin! Yuzu! I'm home!" Ichigo trudged through the now unlocked door, his school bag hitting the ground with an uncharacteristic 'thud'. The teen gave a quizzical look when he got no answer--not even his father's foot flying at his face--after his rather loudly-proclaimed entrance. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a note on the table. _Oh yeah, I forgot…_He thought to himself as he picked up the note he had originally gotten yesterday and re-read it:

'Dear Ichii-ni, gone on week-long 'father-daughter bonding' camping trip, don't burn the house down and try not to starve. Hope you have fun this week, and be glad you aren't going.

-Karin'

Ichigo couldn't help but let out a laugh at his younger sister's last remark. Course, he would have been just about as excited as Karin was if he had to spend a week with Dad in the wilderness trying to 'bond'. He inwardly shuddered and laid the note back down on the table. He wasn't used to being home alone and he would probably need to read the note a couple of more times just to reinforce it.

After leaning up again he froze for the second time that day as the stifling feeling that he wasn't alone lurched up his skin, the eerie feeling of hands-_no, claws_- gripping around his throat. He let out a gasp as he felt his body shudder.

Suddenly a loud crash shot out from where the kitchen was, jolting Ichigo from his suffocating trance. He was uncharacteristically frightened, his usual instinct to fight threats head on violently shoved into the back of his mind, while the pressing thoughts of wanting to run and escape the unknown and unwelcome presence pushed to the forefront of his mind.

He swallowed hard, forcing the thoughts down along with his saliva. He regained his grip on his bravery and called out to the intruder he had not seen but knew was present in the house with him.

"Who's there!?"

--

"Hmm…Na' this seems to be quite tha predicament." The white figure said to no one in particular as he put a hand to his bleached chin. He was still suspended high in the air, but the scenery below him had changed. He now stood high above the Kurosaki household, mulling over the rather grotesque aura that emanated from it. He had been tracking Kurosaki for quite some time now, returning every few days until he knew the boy was alone in the clinic.

In that time he had learned quite a bit about the teen and his family, especially the fact that all of their blood seemed to be of the quite…_extraordinary_ kind. _Yes, their blood all smelled delicious…_The figure slowly licked his pale lips, remembering the first time that scent came upon him…_.especially Ichii-kun's…_

The creature was snapped from his self-induced fixation as the newer, foreign scent came upon him again. His face contorted in disgust that quickly turned and twisted into a burning scowl. He had learned early on because of the family's unusual blood that another creature like himself would come and intrude on his fun. That was why he specifically stayed around the family and had performed…_other_ tasks so that his scent would mix with theirs, warding away any others. An utter snarl escaped him now that his territory had been intruded upon. _All the trouble I went through! I even _marked _him dammit!_

His anger was suddenly cloaked by a questionably sane smile as he walked forward on the invisible ground below him. "Actually," he glowered down at the residence and stopped in mid-step. "This may work out much better than I coulda hoped."

Suddenly there was a panicked shout and a loud crash toward the back of the building.

"Tch." He gave a mused glare and disappeared in a flash as he spoke. "…but it won' work at all if tha kid goes an' dies on me."

--

He couldn't help but let out a surprised shriek at the figure before him. He had wondered into the kitchen, his arm gripping onto the counter for support while unknowingly knocking a few appliances and a potted plant onto the floor. Loud crashes emanated from the kitchen as the items smashed against the tile.

He leaned against the counter and used his other arm for support. He was shaking uncontrollably and his mind was racing trying to figure out the sheer impossibility before him.

"M…m-mom?!" He gasped out the singular word while the figure gave a kind smile and stepped closer to him. _no no no no no NO! _The ghostly woman raised her arm, cupping his cheek with her hand. Ichigo now had his back fully pressed against the counter, his hands gripping until his knuckles where white. _her…her hand…it feels so much like…sh-she can't be! She Can't!! Th-this isn't possible! _

"My, my Ichigo, how much you've grown. I've missed you very much. Have you missed me?" The figure's voice was exactly like Ichigo's memory of her. She gave another kind smile.

"M-mom…" Ichigo stuttered. It seemed to be the only word that his lips could form. His gaze turned and rose to menacing glowing red eyes that appeared behind the woman. A clawed hand raised itself, ready to strike.

"NO!" Ichigo released his death grip on the counter and pushed the woman out of the way just as the monster's hand came down.

Sharp, razor-like nails ripped through clothing and connected with soft, warm flesh. The teenage boy staggered back, the front of his school uniform hopelessly ripped to shreds. He gasped as hot, dark blood oozed from the deep claw markings on his chest, splattering on the floor.

His eyes opened wide in a mixture of surprise and horror as frail arms looped under his own from behind and twisted around to the back of his neck, holding him in place.

"W-What?!" he turned his neck to see the replica of his mother grinning evilly at him with molten red eyes. He struggled in her grip. _I-I can't move! There's no way she's…she's not! Not that _thing._ Dammit! This thing can't be that strong, I should be able to knock her off! _An inhuman hiss came from the woman, and as if on queue a deep, bone-chilling laughter came from the creature in front of him.

"Perfect, isn't she?" the creature mused. "Looks exactly like the real thing, or at least, good enough to fool _you_." Another burst of laugher came as Ichigo turned his head to glare at the monster.

"_...Bastard…" _He growled through gritted teeth. Ichigo examined the figure before him with glaring eyes. He stood about a good seven-feet high, had giant razor-like claws, a strange mask, and a large gaping hole in his chest. _Who?...No, _what_ is this guy?! _Ichigo thought to himself. His chest ached from the claw marks, and there was a stinging sensation on his neck for some odd reason, but he ignored these in favor of getting his answers.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?!" The creature in front of him only grinned, making the teen's anger rise to the forefront of his mind. "Damn you! Answer me-agh!!" The monster had raised a hand to lightly trail claws down the side of Ichigo's face, making the burning on the side of his neck intensify to the point where it felt like someone was holding a match to it. He looked down to see as much of his neck as he could. There was a previously invisible uneven line running from his collarbone up to his jaw line, and it was glowing an angry, blood red. At first he didn't recognize the odd shape of the line, but the implications soon hit him. _It looks like…I was…licked?!_ A shudder ran through him at the thought of how in the world it could have gotten there while the other began to speak again.

"I don't think you're in the position to be asking questions, kid; and I don't have time to answer them. All you need to know is that you're food to me. And as for whoever left that mark on your neck, they were probably planning on the same thing." The monster let out a mused chuckle. "But _I'm_ going to be the one to get to you first. Either way, _you're _dinner."

_Dinner?!_

Ichigo didn't have much time to wander what the monster's implications meant, because at that instant the figure behind him disappeared, her body replaced by a clawed hand that had been conveniently rammed through his midsection. Unable to scream at first, his voice came back full force as the hand was unceremoniously ripped out the way it came. Suddenly the teen's eyes went blank as he slumped against the counter, and slammed into the ground full force, convulsing, bleeding, and coughing up blood all over the tiled kitchen floor.

The monster laughed in victory as he raised his newly-bloodied claw to his awaiting mouth, tongue reaching out to taste that delicious blood for the first time…

WHAP!

He halted in his movements, surprise lit in his eyes for not sensing the other's presence behind him sooner. Said presence had his left hand firmly gripped on the monster's arm; black-clawed nails digging in angrily, though his unnerving smile never faltered.

"I don' recommend takin' what's not yours, _Grand Fisher_." The words hissed angrily from the pale figure, his smile widening when he nodded in the struggling teen's direction, pointing without a finger to the mark on Ichigo's neck. It was glowing a dangerously bright red, as if demanding Grand Fisher to leave.

"You _do_ know tha' he's _**mine**_," The other's pale grip on him tightened. "_**Right**?_" It wasn't a question, Grand Fisher knew that. He also knew that the one standing behind him couldn't possibly be who he thought it was. _No, he died like what…800, no; 900 years ago? This just isn't possible!!...But something is different about him...that would explain why I didn't recognize the scent…but still…_ He figured he'd take a wild guess.

"Hichigo, long time no see." The other scowled.

"No' long enough." His distorted voice reeked of disgust. Yep, that was Hichigo all right. _Now to get back at the matter at hand…_

"Heh, you know I was just fixin' him up for ya," He lied. "It's all just in good fun, right?" He let out a small, nervous chuckle.

"Jus' 'cause ya know ma name don' mean we're buddies, ya hollow _freak_." The questionable smile stretched across his face again, but his voice still wavered on rage.

"Hey! What the hell do you mean 'hollow freak'?! You're a—" His voice cut out in mid-sentence as a white-clawed hand burst out from the part of his chest _not_ containing a hole. Grand Fisher gasped as his mask snapped in half. Laughing, Hichigo wrenched his hand out, watching the hollow disappear into dust as he replied, his smile never faltering.

_"I'm not associated with you fucking filth anymore…"_

He lapped at the blood on his hand, his face contorting in disgust at the taste as he spat onto the ground. "Eck, common blood…" The red staining his hand and sleeve dried up and cracked, evaporating as if it had burned off. He turned his attention to the gasping teen on the floor in front of him, whose eyes looked like they had widened considerably while watching the events unfold before him.

He let out a small giggle as he leaned down to the injured boy, taking his chin in his hand and lifting brown eyes to meet gold and black. The teen gasped and tried to shy away, but he was unable to move due to the hole in his stomach. Instead he let out a depressed grunt. The other chuckled.

"Don' worry, I ain' gonna hurt ya. I wanna help." That insane grin was telling Ichigo otherwise. He gave the best glare he could in his situation. He didn't care how bad he was hurt; he was going to get some answers.

"W-Who…What are y-you?" He managed to stutter the sentence out between gasps for air. The other's smile only widened into a smirk as his face moved uncomfortably close to his. Hichigo's breath fanned over Ichigo's features unnecessarily hard as the teen breathed in, his brown eyes becoming hazy with his exhale.

"I don' think you're in tha position to be askin' questions, at least at tha moment…" He whispered, trailing off as he noticed the teen's eyes beginning to close. Ichigo, on the other hand, was doing his best to try to stay awake.

He had noticed that ever since the other man had gotten closer that wave after wave of fatigue seemed to be crashing down on him, trying to pull him into the black abyss of sleep. _Wh-why am I so…so tired? _He tried to blink his fatigue away, but to no avail. _My...my wounds…they don't hurt anymore. I…I can't feel them at all…_

His eyes struggled open to look into the other's golden hues before falling permanently shut. _It's all…everything's so…warm…_ His last thoughts trailed off as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Hichigo hummed to himself as he watched the teen fall limp in his grip, smiling when he felt the even breaths of sleep coming out of the teen's mouth wash over his face.

"_Ichigo._" His voice held a possessive twinge as he spoke, letting out a small giggle of excitement. "Shall we begin?"

--

"Nngh…" Ichigo groaned as he roused himself from his induced slumber, even though he still was impossibly tired. He looked over for his alarm clock that was normally on his nightstand but couldn't find it. Though, he soon realized that it wasn't the alarm clock that was missing, but rather he was in his living room lying on the couch, not in his bed like he thought. He groaned again as he looked at the clock above the TV…it was only 11:00 PM. It was still Monday. He groaned for a third time and rested his head back on the couch, trying to fall back asleep as he tried to work things out in his head.

_The pain's all gone…was it all a dream? Maybe…but something's off…I feel…different?_

He couldn't quite place it, but something was definitely wrong. He looked down and noticed his school shirt was still torn into shreds, but the wounds on his chest and torso were completely gone. My cuts…they're gone…or were they healed? He paused in his thoughts, noticing an odd feeling in his mouth, like something was there that shouldn't be. He shifted his jaw uncomfortably. What is this? It's like they're stuck… His tongue traveled over their surface, looking for the abnormality. His eyes widened considerably at what he felt.

_F-fangs?!_

"Glad ta see you're awake!" Ichigo jumped at the voice, head flipping up to see the white figure from before crouched on the armrest right next to his head.

"Wha-Wha…" At the moment the surprised teen couldn't seem to form the words he was looking for as the figure leaned in closer to his face for a second time with a stupid grin on, which looked even more idiotic from Ichigo's upside-down point of-view.

"So!" he asked, examining the other with childish delight. "How do ya like bein' a vampire so far?!"

Only one thought entered Ichigo's mind as he gaped at the other…_god I hate Mondays…_

--

"Woot! I'm done!" The Authoress laughed as she collapsed from her keyboard in celebration of her victory against the not-so-ancient-but-still-very-frustrating machine.

"Wow," Ishida adjusted he glasses as he gazed at the screen. "That took you a really long time, and you don't even have school right now."

The Authoress bolted up from her comfortable position on the floor and shoved the Quincy into the wall shouting 'Don't read it! It's horrible!!' while completely ignoring the remark on how long it took to type the thing. Uryu removed his face from the wall, not noticing the implant it left on the surface.

"Why wouldn't you want someone to read it if you originally planned to post it on in the first place?!"

"Shh! We're trying to lure out the flamers!"

"We? We who?" The Authoress held up the gardening hose with a malicious smile. Ishida, on the other hand, jumped back in horror. "Get that thing away from me!!"

--smiles to the readers-- Well, anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this and will read further chapters, unfortunately Ishida is correct in saying that it takes me a really long time to type up chapters…they are kinda long…--looks at word count-- 4,000+ words! :D

Hehe…but anyhow…Reviews and Constructive criticism are welcomed and invited with open arms! (We have cookies, and I promise to reply to your reviews!) But I will hit those who flame with 'teh hose of death', cuz no one likes flamers.

--bows-- Thanks for reading and I promise I'll post again as soon as possible!!

--End Chapter 1--


	2. I'm a WHAT Now

**Title:** **_Love Bites (AKA: Of Whom We Choose To Drink)_**

**Disclaimer:** I am now the proud owner of my own school supplies! WHAHAHA!!...but I no own Bleach…cries

**Rated: **T+ for yaoi, cursing, and…blood! (rating _will_ be upped, but later.)

**Pairings:** IchiHichi (possible side parings later)

**Summary:** **AU/Vampire Fic!** Vamp!Shiro & NewVamp!Ichi. Chapter two update:Ichigo deals with the first stages of becoming a vampire, coincidentally known as: FLASHBACKS!!

**A/N:**** PLEASE READ **I'M SORRY!! Yeah our school started about 2 weeks earlier this year and all it's been is 'work, work, work!' It's like those teachers expect something from me! (nah, j/k I get good grades.) Anyway due to that and several other reasons I've taken a long time to update and I'm SORRY!!

Ok, now that apologies are over, another announcement! (Yays!) There isn't much to explain in this chapter (Yays again!) mostly because most of it will be explained in the next chapter after this one. The only thing I feel that I need to make clear is that this:

_:"Blah Blah":_

is flashback dialogue used during this chapter and is used directly from Shiro's memories of when he became a vampire, thus is not actually being said or thought at the present time. Oh, and if you can guess who _did _say those lines; you will get a very special cookie prize! (not a real cookie, but something digital that I will give to you!) But, if you guess it, don't say that you got it right b/c that will ruin the surprise! (because it is important later on in the story.)

Another announcement! I don't know about you, but I HATE the title, but can't think of anything else; if anyone has ideas for titles, PLEASE tell me!

Final announcement! Because of the 'massive' number of reviews (I don't know was the normal number is, but I would figure 18 for one chapter is a lot.) I'm going to skip the crack portion at the beginning of the chapter and just put one at the end. (Sorry to those who liked it!) THAT means that I'm going to respond to readers' reviews so **IF YOU WISH TO SKIP THIS AND JUST READ THE STORY, SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOLD 'HICHIxICHI'.**

And now on to the reviews!

**:** Glad you like it! Actually, I type really fast, but I get so many errors that I'm constantly hitting the Backspace button. Enjoy the story!

**Akako Hama: **Wow, I've never played Devil May Cry and I still know what you're talking about! lol Thanx for the review and Enjoy the story!

**shygirl30866:** WOW…THANKS! I shall continue!

**Sesshoumaru's-wifey:** Thanks for reading and enjoy the chapter!

**SutaakiHitori:** Why thanks! Actually, those other fics kinda got me inspired, but none of them have updated! (pouts) Thanks for the compliments, they really help! (mostly because the only way I can write is by putting myself down. lol) Wow! you're a good guesser! read the chapter to find out! And yes, Vamp!Hichi is the best thing ever squared!! Hope you had fun camping and I also hope you enjoy this chapter!!

**Metamorcy:** OMG! Metamorcy! (fangirl faint) Heh! anyway, I'm really glad you enjoy the story. And HUGE thanks for pointing out those errors, (I have no Beta  ) I'm going to fix them as soon as I post this chapter!

**Artic Night 6:** (Holds up gardening hose) What was that?! …oh you're kidding…Well this is a serious I told you so: enjoy this chapter!

**Icewind Alchemist:** Thanks? Once again, sorry for the late update! It'll be sooner next time! I swear! Meanwhile, enjoy the chappie!

**SplitToInfinity:** Yay! I love...reviews? And Mondays are EVIL!! Anyways, the first chapter was a little fast on purpose, and don't worry about the flashbacks. Just read this chapter. OH THE FLASHBACKS!! lol enjoy!

**Emma Stargaze:** (gives non-tangible cookie) Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

**Favrite of Chaos:** I Shall! Yes, vamps and yaoi _is_ a wonderful combination!

**KuroitsukiXTsukishiro:** Hey, no review is bad! (unless it's FLAMERS!! lol) Thanks for the compliments! They keep me going! And I shall write more! Do not fear! Oh, and enjoy the chapter!

**Kirtash8:** Thanks for reviewing, and hey, if my English is good enough, yours is to! (even though English is my first language, I'm still a horrible speller) Thank you so much! I'm really glad you like the story, and don't worry, Hichi's past is a very important element in the story, and I even plan on having a flashback chapter of his history. But that's all I'm saying cuz I don't want to spoil the fun! Enjoy the chapter!

**Agony-Howl:** Why thank you! I'm so happy I didn't get any flames, although I still constantly put myself down as a writer. (it's the only way I get things done, and it keeps my ego in check) And don't worry! I shout a lot to! lol Enjoy the chapter!

**galerian57:** Thank you for the review! I promise to update sooner next time! Enjoy the chapter!

**Kuroi Kitty:** I shall! Enjoy the chapter!

**xRandomHeartsx:** Yeah, I was wondering how to involve my little conversation with Ishida in the actual story, and I was like, "He's a terrible liar! I know what to do!' lol Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like the chapter!

**Nia Sephora:** Thank you soooo much for the review! I promise to update sooner next time! Enjoy the story!

**To all Reviewers:** Thank you for reviewing and enjoy Chapter 2!

**HICHIxICHI**

--

"I'm the dude, playin' the dude, disguised as another dude!"

-Tropic Thunder (I can't wait to go see it!)

--

**Chapter 2I'm a WHAT now?!**

"Wha…What did you just say?!" The young teenager asked, glaring in disbelief at the constantly cackling bastard crouching above him on the couch's armrest. He was laughing so hard that he had to steady himself to keep from falling off from the precarious position.

"You heard me…" The creature rolled off into another fit of laughter before being able to continue. _Idiot…what the hell does he think is so goddamned funny?! _The teen was starting to wonder if the man above him was going to pass out from lack of air. "I _said…_ How do ya like bein' a vampire so far? Ya do remember, don' ya?"

"Of course not!" Ichigo yelled at the other. "I'm not stupid! I wouldn't forget something like that!" _Ugh! What the hell is this bastard talking about? _He thought to himself._ Can I even trust him?...I would like to know where the hell these fangs came from, and how all my injuries disappeared…did I even get them in the first place? And what happened to that disgusting bastard from earlier? Could he and this other guy really be…N-no! There's no such thing as vampires or monsters. This all ludicrous!_

He winced a little and brought his hand to the front of his face in frustration. All this yelling was intensifying his already killer headache and this bastard wasn't helping at all! And on top of that, he was still tired as hell for reasons he couldn't identify at the moment and it was making his thoughts sluggish and slow.

Who was this guy anyway? He remembered that other monster calling him 'Hichigo', but he needed to make sure. He kept his eyes focused on his hand when he spoke up.

"What's your name anyways, and who are you? I…I remember that guy from earlier calling you Hichigo, but after that everything's a blank…"

The other smiled a toothy grin. He decided he would grace him with at least one answer. "Tha name's Shirosaki…" He trailed off as if he was going to say something else but didn't. He really loved to annoy this kid.

He smiled again at the teen when noticing the confused and distressed look in his face. He flicked his tongue against one of his fangs before opening his mouth to speak again, giving off a small shudder of pleasure when the blue muscle rubbed against some of the leftover blood in his mouth. "Ya wan' ta know why ya can' remember?" He leaned down as the teen's eyes moved up from the hand occupying his face and shot the one above him a seething glare.

"What I _want _are some fucking answers goddammit!"

"So _demandin'_!" He drawled sarcastically as he pitched himself back up. He couldn't help but let out more laughter, mostly because he could tell that it grated on the kid's nerves. "'I wan' _this_…tell me _that_'…It's almost as if I was speakin' ta _royalty_. Lil'ichi must think he's a King or somethin'!" He let out a bark of laughter at the thought.

The teen's anger rose and he let out a frustrated noise that, unsurprisingly, didn't sound entirely human. "Stop fucking messing with me and tell me what the hell is going on!!"

The albino abruptly halted in his actions and his face quickly turned serious. He glared down at the other, bearing his teeth and letting out a dangerously low growl. The sudden change of attitude sent a shiver of fear down the other's spine.

"Ya know most masters wouldn' take this kind o' shit from their servants, _King_. 'Specially when that master just saved their life." He rested his chin on his hand and looked up thoughtfully, "As ta why yeh can' remember, well masters get ta choose whetha o' not ya can recall how ya became a vampire. Weird rule if ya ask me."

Ichigo looked up at the pale other as if he had two heads. "What the hell are you talking about?!" He spat out at the other. "And what do you mean by _master_?!" Hichigo opened his mouth and was about to answer, but it snapped shut in favor of letting out a small giggle. A rather, _interesting_ idea had just made itself known inside his head. He removed his hand from his chin and leered down at the boy with a sickening smile that sent waves of dread through the teenager.

"Tell ya what, Ichigo. I'll let ya remember everythin' _and _answer all yer questions…fer a small cost…"

The teen's eyes narrowed as he responded cautiously. "What kind of cost?"

The white male let out a small breath, his exhale ghosting over Ichigo's face as he leaned in from his upside-down angle and stopped mere millimeters from the redhead's face. A blue tongue slithered out between two large fangs, teasingly running over smooth, pink lips.

"I think yeh know what I wan'…" He purred as gold on black eyes fell half lidded.

"WHAT?!" The teen squawked as he jerked away from the man above him. "N-no! No way am I-mnfgh!"

He was quickly silenced by the very action he was about to protest against as the vampire roughly planted pale lips against his. The teen let out a small squeak of surprise, a bright blush shooting up onto his face. The albino took advantage of the other's shock and slipped a blue muscle past partially parted lips, lightly bushing past new fangs and exploring every inch inside. He let out a light groan as he happily lapped at the small traces of leftover blood in the other's mouth.

Ichigo, on the other hand, was wracking his brain trying to figure out why the hell he wasn't pushing the other away, knocking him off the couch's shoulder, and pounding his face in using his patented 'Kurosaki Face Stomp' while screaming 'how dare you, you fucking perverted bastard!!'. Needless to say, he was about to recover from the initial shock and do just that until he felt the other's tongue brush against one of his fangs and continue it's journey inside. A spark of pleasure ran through him when his fang was touched and he couldn't will his blush down, a heavy moan moving up his throat begged to be released. But before it could, his pride bit down on it, crushing any noises that would have come. _There is no way in fucking hell I like this!!_

To Ichigo's dismay, (he denied these thoughts fervently as soon as they came), the kiss was not long and the albino pulled away, licking his lips in satisfaction while examining the flustered one below him.

The boy's face was covered with a positively beautiful blush, his hands gripping tightly into the couch as small pants passed through partially parted lips. Sure, it had been a little awkward because he had basically kissed the teen while upside down, but he could tell the other had liked it just as much as he did, though he knew the teen would deny that fact _very_ vehemently. Slightly hazed eyes glared up at the other and his eyebrows angled down in anger. He bared his teeth, gritting them together the best he could with his new fangs trying to find their place among the other teeth.

The other sighed happily and lightly laughed at the teen before speaking:

"Well, I guess I'd better hold up my part 'o the agreement…"

Ichigo gave a confused look as the other lightly tapped an index finger against his forehead. He opened his mouth to speak but before words could come out his vision swirled and dizziness washed though his being. Colors merged and the world spun so fast that he felt like he was going to hurl. He let out a pained groan as his head thudded against the small couch pillow and surrendered to unconsciousness. Before he fell under the blanket of sleep he heard the other's distant voice call out…

"_Sweet dreams, King."_

_**:FLASHBACK:**_

_earlier that night…_

_Hichigo hummed to himself as he watched the teen fall limp in his grip, smiling when he felt the even breaths of sleep coming out of the teen's mouth wash over his face._

"_Ichigo." His voice held a possessive twinge as he spoke, letting out a small giggle of excitement. "Shall we begin?"…_

The albino carefully collected the unconscious teen in his arms, moving slowly into the living room away from the bloody scene in the kitchen. The redhead gave an audible groan of pain, as he shifted in the older man's arms and eyes fluttered under their closed lids. A serious expression came over the conscious one's face. _Hrm…my sleeping kido's already wearing off…O' well, he needs ta be a little awake fer this anyway…_

He set the bleeding teen down gently onto the couch, looping his own right leg over the redhead's lax ones, straddling his waist lightly so he wouldn't further damage his torn-up torso. Hichigo leant over the teen, brushing his fingertips over the left side of the boy's face. The vampire noticed the other's pained expression and the harsh pants slipping out through his lips. He needed to finish this quickly, the kid was no good to him dead and it seemed that he wasn't going to last much longer.

The albino narrowed his eyes in thought. Did he even know how to _do this_? He was never taught like the normal vampires, who attended schools throughout the Seretei, his home for the time being. It was necessary knowledge because every vampire at some point in time (that he knew of) had had a servant, even if they didn't attend any type of schooling. If that weren't the case then, most vampires would have been taught by _their_ masters, and those masters had been taught by _their _masters before them. It was a cycle old as time itself.

So why hadn't his own master taught him? _Master had always been a little unconventional…_He thought to himself, _But he never left anything out, he was always thorough…So, either he didn' teach me, or…Of course!_ The white figure rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. His master didn't teach him because he already knew…well, sort of. His master was the one who turned him into the type vampire he was now, so all he had to do was remember how he did it! ...right?

He closed his eyes in thought, trying to recount those events that had happened so long ago, smiling slightly with a toothy grin when his mind found it. He examined the memories chronologically, using what he remembered his master doing as a manual for his present predicament.

He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, breathing evening out as he entered a deep concentration, focusing on the memories and the teen below him. The albino nuzzled into the crook of the other neck, inhaling the intoxicating scent and readying himself for what he was about to do.

"Ichigo…" He whispered into the other's left ear, hoping to gain the teen's attention. "Can you hear me?"

_:"Little one, are you able to listen?":_

A whimper escaped Ichigo's lips, and the other hastily took that as a yes. There was not enough time to wait for the teen to wake up completely; he was loosing way too much blood in such a short amount of time. The albino moved his lips closer to the other's ear, their texture slightly rubbing against the teen's skin as he spoke with a soft, yet stern voice, loosing his usual accent.

"Ichigo, I need you to pay very close attention to the questions I'm about to ask you…"

_:"Listen very carefully; what I am about to ask is of the utmost importance.":_

"I know that you do not wish to die yet, so will you be willing to make a deal?"

_: "You don't want to die yet, do you little one?":_

"If you agree, I can guarantee you will not die today. You will become my servant and _I_ would be your master."

_:"Join us, little one. Abandon your old life and I promise you will not die today.":_

"Do you, Kurosaki Ichigo, a human, agree to my terms?"

_:"What is your name, Little one?"_

"_h-Hichigo…sh-Shirosaki…"_

"_Well then, do you, Hichigo Shirosaki, a hollow of Hueco Mundo, wish to become one of us?":_

The teen stirred, gasping in pain while barely uttering out his answer…

"Y-yes…"

_:"y-yes…":_

The albino couldn't help but let a warm smile spread across his face. His right hand; the one not supporting his weight, traveled up the teen's body and curved around, grasping the bright orange locks on the back of the other's neck. He held the other's head firmly, supporting it.

"Good answer…"

An azure tongue flicked out over tanned skin, tracing a path down to Ichigo's lower neck. Large fangs made themselves known, grazing the skin, as if to taste. The semi-conscious teen let out a gasp, and the albino couldn't help but let out a shudder of anticipation. All his planning and waiting had come down to this, and he couldn't wait to taste the young teen's blood.

"Get ready, Ichigo…" He whispered before quickly sinking teeth into the other's neck.

"A-Ah!" The redhead's eyes shot open and he became completely aware, the feeling of blood leaving him through that bite was unexpected and strange. It gave him a light, fluttery feeling, which was almost overwhelming considering how much blood he had already lost. He heard the other's appreciative groans, muffled by his neck.

_Oh, god…_Was the singular thought in the albino's mind. Over the years and lifetimes he had been a vampire, he had tasted of so many different bloods, different species, different worlds, but they were nothing compared to this. He hadn't found this much pure _ecstasy_ in blood in such a long time. The reason being was that the longer a vampire lived, the less enjoyment that creature would get out of drinking blood. In other words, the more he drank, the less he tasted. It was the same for all vampires, at least until they found a servant of their own. Ichigo's blood was so much different than anything he had ever tasted…_It's so sweet, warm, thick, and __juicy__…it's perfect…_

He slowly and regretfully withdrew his fangs, tongue desperately moving over the skin to lick up any stray blood. He wanted to drink so much more, but he didn't think the teen could handle any more blood loss. The couch was almost entirely soaked in his blood from his other injuries.

He lifted his head up and placed his lips firmly against Ichigo's, using his free hand to pry open the other's mouth. The white man slowly opened his mouth as well, allowing bits of leftover blood to drip into the teen's mouth and on his lips. He lifted himself up, blood-drenched lips moving to form his one-word order:

"Drink."

The young teen responded by letting his pink muscle move over his lips before gasping out and hastily running his tongue over the rest of the blood in his mouth. He looked up into the other's strange inverted eyes, his own wide in surprise. The albino smirked.

"Pretty good, huh?"

Ichigo looked like he was about to speak, but instead his clenched his jaw and eyes shut in pain, letting out a pained hiss and the other observed the teen's canines warping into sharp, albeit small, fangs.

"Gck!"

The albino made a surprised squawk when the human-newly-made-vampire gripped the front of his shirt and yanked him down, clamping new teeth on the white-skinned neck.

But it was the orange-headed teen's turn to be surprised, because no matter how hard he bit his teeth down, the other's skin wouldn't break. He growled in pained frustration. The other tsked and removed the head from his neck, holding the other's jaw and observing him with a smirk.

"Nuh-Uh little Ichi, tha's against tha 'rules'. (1)"

The other didn't seem to hear him. He was hissing a growling at the hand holding him down, brows furrowed and now slightly golden eyes glaring at the other's neck. The albino laughed a little while speaking to the other.

"Bu' I guess since ya need it so badly…" He gestured with his eyes to the teen's seemingly forgotten injuries. "I'll let it slide jus' this once…" He moved his right hand up to the other's mouth, shifting his weight to his knees. He slid his index and middle fingers into the teen's mouth, matching the pads of his fingers to the tips of the vampire's new fangs. He inspected them with a toothy grin. "Not bad…pretty sharp…though a little small…" The other growled deeply at him. The albino just laughed. "Don' worry! Tha's ta be expected! Heh…but I bet tha's not why yer growlin' at me, huh?"

He took his fingers out of the teen's mouth, keeping the same distance between the two digits as he placed them against his neck, measuring. Looking down at the other, he let another smirk grace his features as his claws dug into the flesh of his neck. Blood beaded up to the surface, rolling along white skin. The teen was now struggling fiercely against the other's grip, loosing what rationale he had left at the sight of the blood. The albino soon removed his hand, simultaneously releasing the teen and letting him clamp his fangs on the new cuts on the albino's skin.

Neither of them noticed two black swallowtail butterflies disappearing through the ceiling.(2)

_**:END FLASHBACK:**_

The white figure stayed perched on the ledge of the couch right above the sleeping teen, watching curiously as the redhead moaned and shifted restlessly in his sleep.

_Ichigo…_He was snapped from his thoughts when and erratic beeping noise filled the room, the albino cursing under his breath as he reached into his pocket to take out a small cell phone.(3)

"Oi. What's tha deal, Midget? I'm busy." He paused at hearing his own worn voice. Ichigo sure took a lot of his blood to heal himself, even though it was necessary. He was more tired than he thought...He paused again. _What the hell?_ He wasn't some weakling-ass pansy! He was Shirosaki for god's sakes! No way in hell a little blood loss would make him tired!! He turned his attention back to the person on the other line.

"That's Captain Histugaya Toshiro to you, _Shirosaki_. And I don't care how busy you are! The Head Captain has ordered you and the kid back to the Seireitei immediately."

Shirosaki Scoffed as he replied in an innocent tone: "Kid? _What_ kid? And why does the old guy wanna see lil' ol' me?"

There was a snarl on the other line. "Don't play dumb, you idiot. We know you made a human into your servant; Captain Mayuri-san got the report an hour ago. What baffles me is how you could possibly think you could get away from us without being found."

The albino snarled. "Fer fuck's sake! I wasn' tryin' ta 'escape', I only wanted ta find a servant!"

"So you admit that you made the kid into your servant now, do you?" He could hear the smugness all the way through the other lane. Shirosaki cursed hoarsely. The midget was the only one who's ever been able to get him to say stuff he didn't want to.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. I'll be right there."

"Good. And be sure to bring the ki-" Shirosaki clicked the off button, not wanting to hear anymore. He stood up off the couch and began walking toward the door, turning back and giving the boy still sleeping on the couch a forlorn expression. _Like hell I'm bringing him in when he's still in this state…_He thought to himself_…There's no telling what would happen if-_His mind graced himself with unpleasant mental images of the last time he was at the research development. He gave an involuntary shudder. No way in hell he was letting Ichi-chan go through that…

Wait.

'Ichi-chan'?! WTF? He shook his head hoping to get rid of the strange thought as he flashed out of the house. (4) He must be more delusional from blood loss than he thought to call a servant vampire he had just met by some stupid nickname…

The sun slid in through the curtains of the Kurosaki resident's living room, the light hitting the young vampire's eyes. He suddenly woke up, almost falling out of the bed with a start. He was still drowsy from the night before and didn't pay attention to the red-stained couch and his torn-up school shirt, thinking he had just fallen asleep on the couch by accident and was going to be late for school if he didn't hurry. He wandered upstairs into the bathroom, stripping off his old clothes and stepping into the shower.

About ten minutes later, the water turned off and Ichigo proceeded to go about his other hygienic duties: washing his face, brushing his perfectly normal teeth, etc.

Not until after wrapping a towel around himself and wandering into his bedroom did he guess that something might have been amiss. His possessions were strewn everywhere, furniture and valuables ripped to shreds. _What the hell? Did someone rob the house last night!?_ He tried to sort things out in his head but his mind was still hazy from the events yesterday and he just dismissed it in an annoyed fashion, thankfully finding one school outfit that wasn't torn apart. He would figure this out later, but if his dad found out he missed school while his family was gone…well…he didn't want to think about that...instead he just headed back downstairs after getting dressed.

Looking at the clock in the living room and realizing that school started in less than twenty minutes, he quickly bolted out the door, barely grabbing his bag before he ran off to school.

--**End Chapter 2**--

Eh, Not much of a Cliffhanger…but lots of stuff for me to ex-plain!! …yay?...

(1)You'll encounter lots of mentions of 'the rules'. These rules are more like scientific laws than actual rules because they cannot be broken. (If they are it is a very rare occasion)

(2)Just like how when Konso is performed in the Bleach series, when a new vampire is created, the Seireitei is notified by butterfly.

(3)Yes, he does have a cell phone, think of it as being just like Rukia's soul pager (it basically is) and just about everyone from the Seireitei has one.

(4)He _liiikes _him! You'll have to keep reading to find out what he does about it!

--

"Ha-Ha! It's done! Now onto the next chappie!" The Authoress spun around in her chair, accidentally smashing her knee into the desk.

"Wow, onto the next one already?" Uryu adjusted his glasses in surprise. "You aren't going to procrastinate like last time?"

The Authoress immediately threw a roll of duck tape at the Quincy. "Shut up you fool! We can't let the readers know I'm lazy!"

"I thought they would have already guessed that by how long it too you to update."

The Authoress seethed before returning to her work. The Quincy, surprised that there was no reprimand, wondered if there was something wrong with the girl.

"Wow, you must really be busy to ignore that."

"Yes! Now be quiet! This chapter is long and full of suspense! action! drama! I can't wait to post it! Raoul!"

Said gardening hose uncoiled from its favorite spot in the corner of the room, ignoring Ishida's shout of: "OMG! You still have that thing?! _And_ you named it?!" and slithered up to its master, awaiting a command.

"Go fetch the muse papers. I need _inspirrrration_!" She cast out dramatically as the snake-like gardening tool slithered out the door.

--

'Til the next chapter every one!


	3. AUTHOR'S NOTE

AUTHOR'S NOTE!!!!

FYI~ Due to reviews showing that people are curious about the continuation of this story, I'm posting the following messages and updates:

1.) NEVER FEAR! No matter how long it takes to update, I WILL update! THIS STORY WILL NOT BE ABANDONED...EVER!!!!! I have NOT run out of ideas, I know exactly what I'm doing...It's just that I have no time...which leads to number two:

2.) I know it's taking me forever to update and I'M SORRY!!! (sobs) It's just that right now school has got me working MY TAIL OFF because I just _had_ to pick Duel-Credit classes (grumbles). And I just got a new job, which is YAY for money but BOO because it takes up most (all) of my afternoon and evenings. BUT CHRISTMAS BREAK IS COMING!!! WAHAHAH!!!! Which means I will have TONS of time to work on this!!! My current goal is to get the next chapter out by the weekend of my birthday (19th) so please bear with me!!!

3.) If you noticed: NEW TITILE!!!! WOOT!!! Yes, I had been planning on renaming it and finnally came up with a new title thanks to the awesome help of my beta. Which leads to my next announcement!

4.) I GOTS ME A BETA!!!! WOOT!!! Introducing the super-awesome SutaakiHitori!!!! (Claps)

5.) A PRESENT!!! For all you super-awesome readers out there, (and because I'm sorry it's taking so long) Here's the first "section":

Chapter 3: "What We Need"

Red and black eyes slowly cracked open as the hollow took in his environment. He was surrounded by blue skies and lying on a blue building, which happened to be sideways. _Strange…_He thought to himself, _A hollow's inner world is black and desolate, there's not supposed to be anything here, and definitely not anything this different. The only types of beings that have inner worlds like this are…_A wide, toothy grin spread across the hollow's face. _"Tha' idiot actually took an 'heir' eh? A human even!" _He let out a loud cackle. _"I wonder if tha ol' King 'membered 'bout lil' ol' me! Khehehe…"_He stood up from its position, the wide grin never leaving its face. He looked exactly like the vampire Shiro, with some strange differences. The left side of his face was covered in a strange, bone-like mask with red stripes on it. Those red stripes followed down his arms and legs, ending at his hands, which were claws, and his feet, which were more like talons. All of this accented the rather large tail that protruded from his lower back; the tip looking like it had been dipped in blood. His body was covered in a samurai-like robe that was white with black linings.

He leaned his head to the side listening to the satisfying 'crack' each vertebra let off as he popped his neck. The angle this gave him showed a gigantic view of the blue sky. Squinting his black and red eyes, he noticed a slight tinge of red in the clouds. And not the light coloring you would expect that would turn the clouds pink, No; it was a blood red that slowly crept across the fluffy surface.

The inner hollow let out a smooth purr, azure tongue sliding across smooth fangs as he thought to himself. _Mmm…looks like the King's starting to get a little thirsty…I haven't had a good drink in a long time. Seems the new King's going to get to see me a little earlier than scheduled…_The albino pleasured himself with a rather bone-chilling, sadistic laugh.

At least, until he heard someone give a rather loud cough.

He looked up with a start, seeing the other occupant of _his_ inner world.

"_Oh, it's _you_."_

"..."

The albino's face skewed into a sadistic grin. "_Didn' 'spect to see me here, didja?"_

"…"

He let out a loud, maniacal laugh at the other's silence and gazed up at the now blood red sky. _"An' wouldja look at that eh? Looks like _I_ get ta see our new King first."_

END OF PREVIEW

(and now you're all hopelessly confused, I'm sure of it!) XD


	4. What We Need

**Disclaimer: **me no own. :(

**Author's note: **There will be no crack-fiction in this section (sorry) I'm saving it for future chapters and I just wanted to get this chapter out to you since you had to wait so long. ^_^;

Anyways, here's chapter 3!

**  
Chapter 3: What We Need**

"It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood."

-_Macbeth_

Red and black eyes slowly cracked open as the hollow took in his environment. He was surrounded by blue skies and lying on a blue building, which happened to be sideways. _Strange…_He thought to himself, _A hollow's inner world is black and desolate, there's not supposed to be anything here, and definitely not anything this different. The only types of beings that have inner worlds like this are…_

A wide, toothy grin spread across the hollow's face. _"Tha' idiot actually took an 'heir' eh? A human even!" _He let out a loud cackle. _"I wonder if tha ol' King 'membered 'bout lil' ol' me! Khehehe…"_

He stood up from its position, the wide grin never leaving its face. He looked exactly like the vampire Shiro, but with some strange differences. The left side of his face was covered in a strange, bone-like mask with red stripes on it. Those red stripes followed down his arms and legs, ending at his hands, which were claws, and his feet, which were more like talons. All of this accented the rather large tail that protruded from his lower back; the tip looking like it had been dipped in blood. His body was covered in a samurai-like robe that was white with black linings.

He leaned his head to the side listening to the satisfying 'crack' each vertebra let off as he popped his neck. The angle this gave him showed a gigantic view of the blue sky. Squinting his black and red eyes, he noticed a slight tinge of red in the clouds. And not the light coloring you would expect that would turn the clouds pink, No; it was a blood red that slowly crept across the fluffy surface.

The inner hollow let out a smooth purr, azure tongue sliding across smooth fangs as he thought to himself. _Mmm…looks like the King's starting to get a little thirsty…I haven't had a good drink in a long time. Seems the new King's going to get to see me a little earlier than scheduled…_The albino pleasured himself with a rather bone-chilling, sadistic laugh.

At least, until he heard someone give a rather loud cough.

He looked up with a start, seeing the other occupant of _his_ inner world.

"_Oh, it's _you_."_

"..."

The albino's face skewed into a sadistic grin. "_Didn' 'spect to see me here, didja?"_

"…"

He let out a loud, maniacal laugh at the other's silence and gazed up at the now blood red sky. _"An' wouldja look at that eh? Looks like _I_ get ta see our new King first."_

"Sorry Ms. Ochi!"

"Sorry doesn't cut it when you're ten minutes late for my class, Kurosaki. Sit down so we can continue on with the lesson."

Ichigo let out a sigh as he sat down, ignoring the questioning looks he was receiving from his friends for being late. He blocked out the teacher's voice as he sat there, deep in thought. Something much more pressing than schoolwork was at the forefront of his mind. _If someone robbed the house last night, why only in my room, which is on the second floor?! Unless they had a ladder, they would have had to come through the living room at some time to get to the stairs. I should have been able to hear them…But why was I sleeping downstairs in the first place? Maybe I…Argh! Why can't I remember?!_

A tap on his back yanked him from his thoughts. He noticed the person behind him slipping a note onto his desk. He looked around the room and saw Tatsuki, Chad, and the others eyeing him warily. He opened the note:

_What's with you? Why were you late to school? Are you sick or something?! Because if you are you need to go home before you give whatever you got to the rest of us you knucklehead!_

_-Tatsuki_

He took out his pencil and wrote on the paper underneath his classmate's message.

_I'm fine. Just woke up late._

He passed the note back and watched Tatsuki write on it again before handing it back down the line of students to get to him.

_Bullshit. You're pale as a ghost and you look like you've been hit by a truck. Don't make me tell Ochi-sensei that you need to go to the nurse. We don't want you getting us sick as well._

Ichigo glared at the paper before writing back his reply.

_Fine. Don't get your panties all in a wad, I'll do it._

Normally he would protest to going to the nurse in the first place, but he knew as well that something wasn't right. Besides the amnesia he seemed to be suffering from, he had a headache that he could tell was only going to get worse and the pit of his stomach felt like it was doing flip-flops. Not to mention that his neck ached like hell for some stupid reason.

After passing the note back, and chuckling a little at Tatsuki's seething glare about the 'panties' comment, he raised his hand and asked to go to the nurse. After getting permission, he gathered his belongings and walked out of the classroom. He supposed Tatsuki had some sort of psychic powers or something, because as soon had he got into the hallway he stomach took a turn for the worst. Dropping his stuff, he ran to the nearest boy's bathroom and, not having enough time to open a stall door, threw up into a sink.

_**Earlier that morning…**_

He was flash stepping as fast as he could on the rooftops of Karakura town. The sooner he got done talking to the captain, the sooner he could figure out what to do with his new servant. _He's in a very vulnerable state as it is, I shouldn't have left him at all... But I need to sort this out with the captain before it's safe to bring Ichigo back to the Seireitei…Running away to find my heir hasn't worked out as well as a thought it would… Heheh, but I should have expected these kinds of problems, what with my type__luck._

The albino vampire was wrenched from his thoughts when a rather… _grotesque _scent reached his nose. He stopped immediately on the building he was on, surveying the area. _Shit…It didn't expect __**them**__ to find out this fast either… _He turned to face the figure approaching him from behind a couple stacks of machinery. He couldn't help but let a large maniacal grin spread across his face.

"I neva thought they'd send _you._ Whacha been up to, wolfie?"

The other let out an insidious growl and roared back at the other. "My name's Grimmjow, _Grimmjow!_ And I'm not a fuckin' dog! I'm a Were-Panther, as in CAT!!"

Shiro scoffed. "Whatever Lassie. It's a new moon tonight, so you're not 'ere ta fight. (Although I'd kick yer ass even if it _was _a _­_full moon) So let's just get down ta it, what the fuck do ya want?"

"Like _Hell _you would!"

"That still don' answer my question."

The one named 'Grimmjow' let a smirk grace his features. "I'm just here to deliver a message from Aizen-sama." His smirk widened when the other glared at the mention of the name. "He's giving you one last chance to join us by choice, even says that the kid can come too. You won't be a prisoner of those _shinigami_ (1) any longer."

The albino growled out his immediate answer. "Fuck no. I'd just be switching from one prison to another. Tell Aizen that he's got shit-fer brains fer even thinkin' that I'd side with 'im."

"I sure will, just remember, this is your last chance to join by _choice_. You will join us either way…it's in your _nature_." He spat out the last word in condescending disgust.

Shiro growled dangerously as the energy around him seemed to glow a blood-red. "_You can go now._" His voice was dangerously low and even.

"Tch. Like hell."

"_THAT WASN'T A REQUEST! I __**ORDER**__ YOU TO__GO BACK TO YOUR PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A GOD!!"_

The hollow snapped to attention, his next words slipping from his mouth involuntary and forced out against his own will:

"Yes Lord Shirosaki-­sama!" The teal-haired man immediately disappeared from the area, landing on a building a couple of block away. As he prepared a Gargantua, he angrily thought to himself. _I can't believe I actually said that! _ _Damn Aizen, he didn't tell me that that idiot still could still control hollows!! _And with that he stepped though the portal and disappeared from the world.

The memories of last night came flooding back to him as he hurled into the sink for the second time. _Damn that…what was his name…Shirosaki?! What the fuck did he do to me?!_ All other thoughts screeched to a halt as he puked again. Finally able to breathe, he looked down in the sink in disgust, which turned to alarming surprise. The sink was filled with an oozing, black substance, and there was the distinct taste of iron in his mouth. But unlike last night, as he struggled to remember, this taste brought no pleasure or magical healing properties to him, only revulsion and disgust. _But it still tastes like blood…barely…what the hell is it?! _

A rough, distorted voice gave him the answer.

"_**Why, littl' new-King, that's yer blood o' course!"**_

Ichigo immediately jolted up at the sound of a voice that sent shivers of unexplained fear down his spine, is eyes darting around the room to find the source of the sound. He found nothing but the sinister laughter that seemingly rang only in his head.

"_**Tha's cuz I AM in yer head… fer now…"**_

The red-headed teen turned to the mirror, his scream of terror swallowed by the school's bathroom walls. There, where his reflection should be, was another's. It oddly reminded him of Shirosaki, he thought absently. Except for the mask, marks, and the red eyes instead of yellow. He felt the hair on the back of his neck rise as the figure in the mirror sneered at him with that fang-toothed grin and calculating eyes, everything about this man…no, _thing…_ told Ichigo to run, get away, but how could he run from his own reflection?

But there was something else he needed to know.

"What do you mean _my_ blood? Who are you? And what do you mean you're in my head?!"

The refection gave a sarcastic sneer, his cold, dead lips moving along with the words in Ichigo's head.

"_**Hold yer horses, King. One question at a time."**_ He heard the other give an aggravated snarl as he continued. _**"Tha name's Hichigo, and what I mean is tha' that black, sick mess ya chucked inta tha sink is yer blood. Wha' did ya expect ta happen when ya became a vampire? Tha' all yer old human blood would just magically change ta match the new blood in yer system? Hate ta break it to ya, but becomin' a vampire ain't an overnight thing, it takes awhile."**_ He gave another sadistic smile at the other's confused expression. _**"Didn' ya wonder about yer stomach and that headache of yers? When a body changes it gets rid of the ol' blood cuz it has no use fer it. But, if ya don' hurry and drink someone else's blood, yer just gonna puke it all up an' die of blood loss…But of course, I won' let tha' happen."**_

The redheaded teen slowly narrowed his eyes as he stared at the reflection that was not his own, slowly absorbing the other's words.

"What do you mean _you_ won't let it happen?" Even if what this man said was true, there was no way he'd hurt an innocent person just to get more blood, he'd rather die than let that happen! He gave a start when the reflection immediately sneered at him, as if he had read the teen's thoughts.

"_**It's that kind of stupidity that makes me have ta intervene. Get this in yer head, King: If you die, I die, and I'm not gunna let that happen." **_He licked his fangs with his long, blue tongue and gave off a rough purr that sent shivers down the other's spine. _**"…I'll make you want it. I'll make you feel like you're starving for blood…" **_He laughed sadistically at the teen's horrified expression. _**"I'll make you want it so bad, you'll beg fer it. You'll beg ta use my power and take it… Find the nearest human… young girls always have teh sweetest blood. Oh, don't worry, at first she won't like it, but she eventually will. The feeling of blood leaving though the body is quite an exhilarating experience…but nothing compared to what **_**we'll**_** feel. Just you wait King, the feeling of warm hot blood slipping though our fingers, the satisfaction of your first kill, the-"**_

"Stop it! Shut up, _Shut up!!_" Ichigo's voice was quivering; he had never felt so afraid, and disgusted. The things this strange being in the mirror was describing to him were making his mouth water, no matter how much he hated it. "There's no way I'd do anything like that!"

He winced a second later as his headache that had seemed to dull down to a simmer exploded inside his skull. He clutched his head in between his fingers tightly and let out an involuntary whimper as his stomach stirred with a certain _hunger_, his teeth clenching and unclenching tightly as the urge to have flesh between them became unbearable.

"_**You WILL!" **_The distorted voice screamed in his head as Ichigo regained is senses. The teen let out a similar scream, but in defiance instead.

"_NO!_" He ran out of the bathroom, not stopping as he pushed an unknown classmate out of the way. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he could feel his body getting weaker, probably courtesy of the strange monster that had suddenly appeared inside of him. He couldn't be near anyone, not like this.

He stumbled out of the school, running as fast as he could, running to the only place he new that didn't house a soul at the moment.

Home.

"Where have you been? That phone call was hours ago!"

Shiro landed on the rooftop with inhuman gracefulness, not at all paying attention to the smaller ice demon in front of him. The younger fumed, but stopped himself from impaling the vampire several times with his zanpactou (2), instead asking again:

"What took you?!"

"I had to take out some trash." The albino answered as he pretended to examine his nails nonchalantly, an expressionless emotion plastered on his usually grinning features.

"What do you mean by trash?"

He resisted the sarcastic remark that came to mind, a serious expression coming across his features.

"…" His eyes unfocused as he became lost in thought. Hitsugaya noted the unusual actions and gained a serious expression himself.

"What is it Shiro?"

The albino stiffened, unsure of how much information he should reveal to Soul Society. Although the Seireitei is his home, their leaders have not always appreciated him being there, or, at least, the situation that had brought him there. (3) But, he figured that in this situation, he and Soul Society were on the same side.

"_They_ know."

The captain's expression turned from serious to shocking alarm "Already?! Where's the kid?!" They had to get out of here and back to Soul Society where the vampire and his new servant needed to be placed in protective custody--_immediately._

"I…don't know."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?!" The smaller one of the two exploded in anger as he clenched his fists. "Why didn't you bring him like I _told_ you to?!" Didn't Shiro understand the danger the boy was in at all?!

"And condemn him to that whack-job at the twelfth division?! Like hell!" The albino remembered with perfect clarity his first…_and last…_visit to that hell-hole.

"IDIOT! Do you think Aizen is any better?!"

The shocked expression on the vampire's face showed the captain that the albino hadn't even considered that possibility.

"Look," Hitsugaya stated in a more calm manner. "There's no point in yelling about it while the kid's in danger. We need to find him before Aizen does. Can you sense him now?"

Shiro closed his eyes for a few moments before opening them in a flash, his head turning to face his left, eyes focused on a point that neither shinigami could see.

"Good. Now if you help me go get him and bring him to Soul Society, _away_ from Aizen," The ice demon added, "I'll use my position as captain to keep the kid out of Kurotsuchi-taicho's filthy hands, got it?"

The Albino gave the captain a questioning glare. "You'd do that?"

Hitsugaya sighed and nodded. "Right now I'd do anything to keep the heir to your master's legacy _out_ of hollow hands."

Shiro nodded in understanding as they both flash-stepped away in the direction of Karakura High.

_But what neither of the shinigami knew was that Ichigo was closer to being in hollow hands than either of them expected…_

He slowed in his running, stopping along the sidewalk and leaning on a building's wall for support, knowing he couldn't continue on his original path to the Kurosaki residence. He felt so worn out, so tired and very, very cold.

His body made an involuntary shiver as he staggered into an empty alleyway, waves of nausea crashing down on him again, much worse than when he was in the school bathrooms. Unable to hold his body up any longer, he slumped against the cold, hard wall, letting himself fall to the ground and landing on his tailbone painfully. He ignored it. His mouth and chest were hurting much worse.

_So…cold…_

The young vampire curled in on himself, holding his knees close to his chest. His eyes clenched shut in pain as the canines in his mouth forcibly grew back into fangs, making the teen whimper at the pain.

_So…__hungry__…_

"_**King…"**_

He absently saw a white hand reach out to him before everything went black.

When he could see again he found himself standing on a blue sideways building in the middle of a blue, sideways world, only having a moment to be confused about his strange, new surroundings before his legs buckled under him, his body threatening to make painful contact with the concrete and glass floor below. That was, at least, if two pale arms hadn't wrapped around his torso, holding him close to the cold body behind him.

The pain from earlier hadn't subsided, making his mind slow and unsure of who was holding him a little _too_ tightly.

"Sh-Shiro?"

"_Wrong again King." _The other giggled sadistically into Ichigo's ear, making the teen shiver. _"You'd think you'd have figured it out by now…hmm, maybe you're mind's acting so slow because you're so low on blood, eh? C'mon, King…just a little nibble…I guarantee it'll make you fell better. You'll be able to think better after yer head's cleared up…Just one little bite couldn't hurt…"_

He was shaking all over, the hunger seeping everywhere and making his nerves scream in pain.

"_We __**need**__ it, Kiiiing…"_ The strange voice cooed in his left ear, the breath tickling his skin. He could still feel those cool hands roaming his body, that icy azure tongue sliding agonizingly slowly up the side of his neck, fangs barely grazing the skin…

He gave out a small involuntary whimper at the sensation and his vision blurred. His legs buckled under the stress, but strong arms and hands held him up.

"_Kiiiiiinnggg…" _The figure whispered the word in a drawn out fashion as his tongue traced the shell of his ear. Ichigo gritted his teeth and slammed his eyes shut in pain and…_oh, the merciless __**hunger.**_

_Oh God…_

He felt one of the hands holding him up move off of his chest. If his eyes had been open, he would have seen a strange bone-like substance form out of seemingly nowhere into the free hand. His mind was in such a haze that he didn't feel the cool surface of the underside of the strange mask touch and join to his face.

"_King, you _will_ get __**it**__ for usssss…"_

" _**Yesss…**_**"** The word barely slipped from his relaxed form, unaware that there had been a question or that he had even answered. He hadn't even noticed the new distorted quality of his own voice from under the mask.

The figure that looked _so_ much like Shiro but called himself Hichigo gave out a small demented giggle and kissed the boy playfully on his mask-covered cheek. The teen could only let out a pained groan and shudder.

"_Good King." _The white figure cooed._ "Go get us what we need."_

The next sensation Ichigo felt could only be described as falling as he left the strange sideways world, hearing the other call after him.

"_Get us what we need! Give us what we __**want**__ King!!"_

Blackness enveloped him, his thoughts scattered halfheartedly throughout his mind, mending, breaking, falling, floating, _merging_ with the other being now invading his consciousness. Hazed eyes cracked open, black and a sickly gold swirling about, wildly consuming the amber and white. He tried desperately to control his now duel thoughts…

'_Want?...what do I want?'_

'_**Tha's not the right question.'**_

'…_Is it…what do __**we**__ want?'_

'_**Yes, very good. We are one being…fer now, at least.'**_

'…_but that doesn't answer my...um…our question…'_

'_**We want what we need.'**_

'_What do we need?'_

'**Ya**_** know tha'**_** we**_** know tha answer to that one…'**_

'_You mea-uh...we mean…?'_

'_**Yes!'**_

The black swirls completely overwhelmed the teen's eyes as the two voices spoke out in unison.

"**We know exactly what we need…"**

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_**Blood.**_

The newly-masked face snapped up from its resting position as gold and black eyes flew open. He climbed shakily to his feet as quickly as his now languid state would allow him. The boy tensed as a certain _smell_ flooded his already over-powering scenes.

"_**Ahhh…"**_ He let out a shaky breath as he desperately tried to organize his raging thoughts into a coherent manner, his body quivering in the urge to run after whatever it was.

_Scent…bright red…thick…want it. We need __**it.**__ need it.! need!! _

His breath quickened as he paced forward toward the source, his thoughts and movements becoming even more irrational as time quickly passed.

"_**Food…blood…" **_Was all he could utter as the scent grew stronger…

END CHAPTER 3

Hahaha! Cliffhanger! I feel evil now! XD Anyways, onto the next chapter!

(1) You will notice that I refer to Shiro, Hitsugaya, and others as _shinigami_ and Grand-Fisher, Grimmjaw, and others as _hollows_. Although these are the names used for them in the series, they do not have the same meaning in this AU. (but they basically have the same function, hollow=bad, shinigami=good.) this will be more thoroughly explained in the next chapter and chapters following it.

(2)Yes, they do have Zanpacktou, but like shinigami and hollows, it will be explained more in depth as the story develops.

(3) If you haven't figured it out, Shiro's past (and what he is) plays a huge role in the story. In one of the following chapters, (soon, but not the next one) all, or most, of his past will be explained. And it will be awesome. XD

That's it for now! see ya till next chapter!

PS: And if anyone could show me how to double-space on this, that would be GREAT!!!!! Mostly because without it the scene trasitions look really strange..._;


	5. Blood

ZOMG Busiest Summer Ever!!! I'm Sooooo sorry this took so long, but I DO KNOW where I'm going, I just don't have anytime to write it ^_^;

I won't spend fifty pages on thanking for reviews cuz I know you guys want to read the chapter, BUT I LOVE AND APPRECIATE EVERY SINGLE REVIEW!!!!! I make sure to read them all because the reason I write this story is to entertain readers. This story is strictly for you guys, so keep reviewing and letting me know how much you like it!!! (or don't, I LOVE constructive criticism as much as reviews, but no flaming please!!)

Beta'd by the wonderful SutaakiHitori!!!

Warning: (major) HichixIchi fluff floats about somewhere in this chapter…

Lots of questions answered, but so many more asked; enjoy!

* * *

_Blood…I…we need…_

**Chapter 4: Blood**

"I who am poisoned with the blood of both,

Where shall I turn, divided to the vein?"

-_A Far Cry from Africa_

His eyes traveled downward, following the red liquid's path down the side of his hand. It glistened, sparkling and promising power to all the fools of the world. But he was no fool.

He had cut himself again.

Not in the normal, angst--teenager begging for attention--sense either. There was no gash carved upon his wrist. No, that would be a waste. This was more of a small nick, placed upon the tip of his right thumb. _Just for amusement… _Just to look upon the one substance that he could not control, but needed so badly.

In this world, as in others, this was the substance that ruled all.

He _despised _blood as much as it fascinated him. I was something he wanted, but couldn't have. Sure, he could drink it, and yes it would give him power. Why not? It had given him this much already, but it was _never enough._ Why wouldn't it give that power to him? He knew he could use it properly, _it _knew he could use _it _properly…and yet it still denied him absolute power.

_It_ denied him the King's Key.

Souske Aizen sat in his throne in the center of Las Noches, the ruling city in Hueco Mundo, glaring at his own blood. After a few moments, he sighed in an agitated sense, and wiped the blood with a spare cloth instead of drinking it as he had first wanted. No, he was not an animal and he was no fool.

"Ehhh~?" A tall, thin figure interrupted his musing, moving unnervingly close to the other's face and eyeing the bloody cloth. "Oh no, Aizen sama! You cut yerself again? You should be more careful!" The strange person lifted the man's hand and placed his palm over it, healing the cut. "Ya know, Aizen sama, if you're depressed, you should order some of the lower hollow to kill each other! That should lift your spirits!"

The man called Aizen chuckled lightly, taking his hand from the other man's grasp. "No, Gin, I'm not depressed, just thinking. Though, you never do cease to amuse me…"

The light-haired man straightened up as if insulted. "I wasn't trying to be amusing! I was being serious--you need to lighten up!"

"Just because I say you amuse me does not mean that you need to be annoying, Gin. Now why are you here?"

Gin stilled, letting a sly, sick grin stretch unnaturally far across his features as snake-like red eyes peered at his master. The seated man looked bored, and Gin liked it when he was excited. He loved to deliver news that interested his master. "Grimmjow kun has returned, Aizen sama, and has compiled a verbal report for me to deliver to you."

"Oh?" Gin was right; this definitely caught his master's attention, no matter how much Aizen didn't let it show. "And why avoid me? Why not deliver this message to me in person instead of going through channels? Has he failed in his delivery of_ my_ message to the vampire-_shinigami_?"

It seemed almost impossible that Gin's grin could stretch further, but indeed it did. "No, he was successful. But, rather; it seems that Grimmjow kun is upset at you Aizen sama. He says that you neglected to inform him that Hichigo sama could still control his kind."

A slight smirk on the other's face indicated that Aizen hadn't told his _Espada_ on purpose, just as the other expected. "I suspect that he would be, but I must continue to inform you, my _servant-_" oh, how he loved that word, "that 'Hichigo _sama_' is no more, he is only Shiro kun now."

The smile grew larger.

"Ah, my apologies Aizen sama, it seems I keep forgetting how you dethroned the Hollow King. Please forgive me."

"Just don't forget again who rules over you," Aizen stated dismissively.

"_Hai_, Aizen sama~" Gin's voice echoed as he seemingly faded into the air, leaving the ruler of Hueco Mundo alone once again. He smirked again to himself--everything was going according to plan.

Yes, blood couldn't give him the power, but the Hollow King's servant brat would.

_

* * *

_

He was free.

Well, not really. Not having a body to call your own limited what one could call _free._ But right now he had the first important step to getting what he wanted. _Control._ He could walk, run, breathe, feel… _kill._ It was such an exhilarating feeling, control.

But he needed _more_. He was still caged in this body, still in his cell. And though he could reach the key, there was always that Guard waiting to snatch it away from him.

But he was getting ahead of himself.

The Guard, this boy's master, was invincible to the likes of him. There was no way he could get around him.

But Ichi kun's savior wasn't here.

This left him free to snatch the key and claim his desired freedom.

_There it was._ The key was far away, but he could reach her soon. There was nothing special about this 'key', this girl, but it was the sheer fact that she had _it._ She had blood. And blood was what he needed.

His existence was a curse, a curse to others as well as himself. Ever since _that day_he was shut up inside himself, inside King--well, Shirosaki that is--and now he had been somehow transferred to Shiro's servant, the boy. His _new_ King.

But he keeps getting ahead of his own thoughts.

The _girl_. That is what he needed to focus on. If he could use Ichigo's newfound instincts (the ones he still had no control over, but Hichigo new about very well) then he could break his curse and become free.

All he had to do was take a human's blood by force, without their permission (in his definition it just meant having some fun). He would break the one boundary between shinigami and hollows.

In other words, if he used Ichigo to break Seireitei law, Ichigo would be permanently separated from his master. This would leave Hichigo all the freedom to manipulate and twist the boy as he pleased until he was the one who was in constant control.

He just needed that human. Until then he would continue to whisper and yell and scream his demands into the boy's head.

_

* * *

_

He didn't understand.

His body moved unwillingly though the streets, faster than any human could see, let alone move. They were scanning the area, and Ichigo heard distant voices in the back of his head, not that he was listening. The voices were a low drone, sounding familiar yet not; and he felt completely trapped in his own body.

_He moved swiftly through the alleyways._

What was the voice saying? The more he concentrated, the louder it got, until he felt like clutching his head in pain. _Not that he could… _He knew who that voice was though. It had called himself Hichigo, just like that monster that had attacked him in his home the other day called the man _he _knew as Shirosaki. He knew there was a connection, _but what? _He remembered how angry Shirosaki had gotten when he accidentally called him by the other name, did that mean that the two of them hated each other? But more importantly--

_It found a scent._

Who should he trust? If he thought about it, he supposed it would be Shirosaki. Even though he was almost certain that all the horrible things that had happened in the last few days were his fault--_He turned him into this…__**thing**__..._--for some reason he didn't hate him. It was as if somewhere, deep an instilled in his instincts, he could do nothing but trust the man… _What had Shiro said about servants and masters?_ Was it in his newfound vampire-like nature to completely rely on this man?

_He moved as fast as his legs could carry him._

And then there was _the other_; that monstrous thing inside his mind that told him to do nothing but devour, kill, and hate. The being that he sensed wanted nothing to do but devour and kill _him_. And he knew that he hated _him._ The thing that was in control right now…

_It saw her; it was so close now--_

This was what he didn't understand. Why had he even agreed to anything this mysterious monster had promised? Was he that weak?!... Why did he feel that his mind was falling?

_So, SO close now…it could almost taste--_

Both voices simultaneously shrieked in pain, an icy blade that had come from seemingly nowhere was rammed through their slightly clawed hand--the hand that had been reaching out to the unsuspecting human girl--sticking into the ground and unmoving. The girl took no notice, seeing as she was human and no normal person could see or hear these beings. She kept walking until she was out of site, unknowing of the beast trying to wrench the blade out of the ground and thus out of its hand, or the other two who were approaching the young boy.

_**

* * *

**_

*Three Weeks Ago…*

Byakuya was a _very_busy taichou. The constant paperwork, organizing and assigning of missions to subordinates, not to mention keeping track of his reckless lieutenant/servant and that annoying albino hollow 24/7 would drive any sane person to extreme levels of stress and a constantly frustrated state. Which was why, as the head noble Kuchiki, he prided himself in his ability to maintain his composure in almost any situation. Even this one…no matter how difficult it was.

"What do you mean he's 'gone'?"

The unseated officer flinched at his captain's harsh words, repeating the message with a slightly wary voice.

"It is as I said Kuchiki taichou, the guards outside the Kuchiki mansion reported the hollow missing a few hours ago--"

"And why tell me this _now_?"

"Uh, well… the guards wanted to do a brief search to check and make sure the hollow wasn't just out wondering the grounds before declaring an emergency--"

"Who commands this division?" the black-haired man interrupted, taking the other by surprise.

"Um…You, Kuchiki taichou…"

"And who was put in charge of watching the hollow?"

"The sixth division, eh, _your _division, Taichou."

"Then, could you infer, since the sixth division is in charge of the hollow and I am in charge of the sixth division, that _I _am in charge of watching over him, and thus should be informed of any activity pertaining to said hollow immediately?"

"Y-yes, Kuchiki taichou…"

"Good. Let's try to keep it that way. Now, go report this to Yamamoto soutaichou while I go and clean up _your _mess."

"Yes sir, Taichou!"

_**

* * *

**_

:Now, In the Seireitei:

Byakuya stood unmoving as the gate was prepared. Hitsugaya taichou and been sent yesterday to locate the missing albino-hollow/bane of his and everyone else's existence, and had sent a message via soul pager that they were ready to return along with the hollow's new servant-boy. This, in itself, was not a shock to the captain, considering it was in every vampire-master's instinct to seek out a servant. Even though this did not pertain to hollows, Shirosaki's case was exceedingly rare, pertaining to the fact that he had not only hollow instincts, but shinigami ones as well. Not to mention that all of these instincts would be transferred to the human boy Shirosaki turned, who, unlike the albino hollow, had no control over his powers.

Byakuya was interrupted from his thoughts when one of the 12th division workers announced to the small crowd that the portal would be opening soon…

"Ulquiorra…" His name echoed off of the large walls of the room his adopted master was seated in.

"You called for my services, Aizen sama?" His voice quavered slightly in anticipation. Being a ghost, and a powerful one at that, he felt pride in being very useful to his lord. Whether the task was spying on shinigami or possessing them to do his will, he enjoyed every minute of it as long as it satisfied his master.

"You know what to do."

"I will do as my lord wishes…" The Fourth Espada bowed humbly and disappeared in the moonlight of Hueco Mundo.

* * *

"Che… Dammit," Shirosaki muttered to himself as he stepped closer to his servant. "Didn't expect yah to show up so soon. What's up with that?" The question seemed offhandedly directed to the boy in front of him, still bent over from the sword stuck in his hand. Said boy chuckled darkly, the sound being completely inhuman as he answered using the boy's own body:

"**Well you left him all alone… So I thought I'd take him out fer a **_**spin**_**!!"** Towards the end of his sentence, he gave up on ripping the sword out, instead splitting the boy's hand on the sword to free it. He swung around for a surprise attack, only for his claws to miserably fail at cutting any of the albino's skin. Said albino roughly grabbed the offending hand by the wrist, giving the hollow-possessed boy a stern and serious look.

"That never worked on our master, so why do you think it would work now when you're using _my_ servant?!"

**"Heh, wishful thinking?"** By now the monster knew he had lost this time, but there would be other occasions to torment his new _and_ old King…

The mask cracked and faded from the boy as he fell to the ground from exhaustion, only Shiro's hold on his torn hand's wrist keeping him up. Ichigo groaned a little but stayed unconscious as the albino hollow picked him up bridal style. As he gazed down at his servant with an expression full of concern, he could distantly hear Hitsugaya telling him that the portal to the Seireitei was ready to be opened, and they would be returning home soon. …_Home…_

"_I wonder if Ichigo will like it there..." _the albino hollow said more to himself than anyone else.

As Hitsugaya entered in their location on his soul pager to be sent to soul society, he could see the doors materializing. The captain walked over to his zanpakutō and easily yanked it out of the ground, the sword no longer frozen to it (1). But, before he could lift it to unlock Seireitei's gate, he turned the sword behind his back, blocking his would be assassin's hidden attack. Turning around, all he could see was an equally surprised Shirosaki and his still unconscious servant. Growling in frustration, he yelled out to the unknown assailant.

"Come out you coward! Fight me like a real demon!"

"Don't insult me." Hitsugaya's gaze followed to the location of the voice, where the air took a hazy look as the ghost showed himself. "I am not a coward, nor a demon." With cold eyes the ghost fully appeared, sword drawn and ready to attack. "My name is Ulquiorra Schiffer, but you may address me as your assassin." The Fourth Espada rushed forward as the ice captain's eyes widened in recognition, barely blocking the ghost's strike. Ulquiorra's dead lips moved after their swords collided. "Time to die, vampire."

Hitsugaya chuckled darkly before jumping back to counterattack. "For one who doesn't like being judged, you sure are quick to assume."

The Fourth Espada mimicked the captain's move, ready to end the encounter quickly. "How so?"

The Captain readied his sword. "Not all shinigami are vampires." Hitsugaya smirked at the ghost's shocked expression. "Hyorinmaru!!" A gigantic dragon of ice pelted down from the darkened sky, completely obscuring the Espada in its blast. Simultaneously, he stabbed his Zanpakuto into the portal's door, opening it. "Shiro! Get yourself and that kid out of here!"

Shirosaki, who had been unable to fight due to his armful of Ichigo, jumped out from his hiding spot and raced through the portal with the ice captain right behind him. As the doors closed, they could see Ulquiorra rising from the destruction and debris left behind by the captain.

The Espada glared at the disappearing three, speaking quietly by loud enough for them to hear:

"What Aizen sama wants, he shall have. No place is out of his reach. Shirosaki and the boy will be his, no matter how long you hide like dogs in your blessed Seireitei."

The portal then closed, cutting them off from the human and hollow world alike.

* * *

Ichigo awoke to the smell of rain and the feeling of strong, protective arms wrapped around him. As he gained more awareness, he could tell that he was lying down on a cot, not unlike the ones used in his father's clinic, and that he was pressed up against someone's chest very comfortably. Not quite awake enough to realize his situation, he snuggled closer and moaned a little in hunger, the once again persistent nagging of his stomach present.

Eyes still closed, he felt movement from the other. First, it was the arms draped over his waist disappearing and moving up to the other's neck, followed by a small hiss of pain and the overwhelming smell of familiar blood. He let out a small whimper of longing before he was hoisted up farther in the bed to where his mouth was even with a smooth, white neck with two, brand new puncture wounds. He opened his eyes and stared at the blood now sliding down the man's neck. As he did so, he felt a cool hand snake around the back of his neck, gripping soft terraces slowly and pushing the boy's head closer to the albino's neck.

"C'mon now," he heard his master speak in sleepy encouragement. "I know you're hungry, so don't waste it."

With Shiro's consent, Ichigo tentatively licked at the blood falling down the albino's neck before clamping down on the puncture wounds, his control gone as he started drinking greedily. He gripped the front of the other's shihakushou as the conflicting emotions of drinking the other's blood rose in his mind. The blood tasted remarkable in his mouth, revitalizing him as much as it gave him pleasure. But, at the same time, he hated himself for needing it, for becoming a vampire and almost harming innocent people. He feared that if he ever went near his family, he wouldn't be able to control himself…

As his thoughts turned to darker places, He could feel the tears running down his face even as he gulped down more blood. What he didn't expect was the tightening of the other's hold and a comforting hand rubbing in smooth and relaxing patterns across his back as the other consoled him.

"Shh…S'okay now. You're going to be just fine," he heard the other softly speak as he finished drinking the albino's blood. He was now only tiredly licking at the other's neck, too teary-eyed and weary from the day's stress to stay awake, but also no longer starving for blood. As the master wiped the tears from his servant's eyes, Ichigo faded back into sleep with Shirosaki still whispering gently into his ear.

* * *

While the two vampires slept peacefully in the 4th division, Byakuya felt as if he was living through hell. Immediately after Shirosaki's return, Yamamoto soutaichou called an emergency captain's meeting to discuss where the two would be staying, now that they knew by Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's appearance that Aizen had an interest in the two.

It was at that time that Kurotsuchi decided to speak up, _again._ "I _still _say that they should be handed over to my department of research! Despite what central 46 had prophesized, we still don't know _why_Aizen is so interested in the two! It is up to the 12th division to uncover such things so we can hopefully prevent their capture!"

Hitsugaya was quick to rebut. "Nonsense! The 12th division is only interested in experimenting on the two, not protecting them! Protecting them, according to Central 46, is exactly what we should be doing!"

Kenpachi quickly joined in on Hitsugaya's side. "I agree with the little guy!" A vein popped in Hitsugaya's head. "We should be teaching them how to fight! If you place them in my division, they'll be surrounded by well trained fighters who can protect them _and _teach them to protect themselves! If they're cooped up with the scientist loon over there they're likely to get _weaker,_ not _stronger_!"

"Who are you calling a loon?! You're the one who only wants them so you can fight them yourself, you blood lusting buffoon!"

"Both of you! Quiet!" All voices stilled at the head captain spoke. "It is unbecoming of captains such as yourselves to be arguing so childishly. Even so, Kenpachi does raise a good point. Unless anyone else offers, it is likely Central 46 will send them to the 11th division."

"Soutaichou, sir. If I may, I offer my personal residence to the two vampires." The room stilled a second time as Byakuya spoke up. Many jaws dropped at the suggestion. Even though Byakuya had been Shirosaki's caretaker before, no one dared to think that he would volunteer for a second time, _willingly _at that. Even Yamamoto was surprised.

"May I ask as to why, Captain Byakuya? You seemed to have been displeased when we put only one of them in your care before, but now you want to accept two?"

"My personal opinion of the two is not important in this head captain, sir. I believe that due to the Kuchiki's large amount of land and security due to its noble status will suffice as a safe location for the two to stay. Also, as the Kuchiki nobility is of vampire blood, we will have plenty of knowledge and equipment to aid in their health should problems arise. I know that the 11th division has access to the same technology through the 4th division, but the Kuchiki's is much closer, located in the same building, even. Seeing as this is a special case, and the health of the servant boy is unknown, I feel that it is a much safer location for the both of them."

"And what about the training of the two that Captain Kenpachi has offered?"

"The Kuchiki's have as much influence as they do connections. I could hire them any private tutor that they so wish, but I have a feeling that Shirosaki will be more than happy to train the boy himself."

The head captain allowed the information to be absorbed by the other captains before announcing that the decision would come to a vote. Kurotsuchi was the only one to vote in the negative.

"It is decided then," Yamamoto announced. "Shirosaki and the servant boy will be moved from the 4th division tomorrow to stay at the Kuchiki mansion under protective custody until there is no more evidence of Aizen's interest in the two. Dismissed!"

"Hai, Yamamoto soutaichou!" All the captains gave a quick, polite bow before swiftly exiting the meeting room to perform their tasks.

While exiting the room, Hitsugaya noticed a young, unseated officer right outside the doorway getting ready to leave. He called out to him, and the boy stopped in his tracks, as if he had been caught stealing something. Hitsugaya ran up to the shinigami as the unseated officer turned around and bowed in apology before the captain could say anything.

"S-sorry sir! I know I'm not supposed to be here but I-I just got lost, you see, a-and I just realized wh-where I was! P-please, I promise it won't happen a-again!" The young man looked like he was so scared he was about to faint. Hitsugaya _almost _took pity on him. Instead he just sighed in annoyance and said, "Just don't let it happen again. Get going back to work before I have to report you to your leading officer."

The young man looked up, eyes wide with surprise, and Hitsugaya couldn't help but notice the strange but familiar green tint in the man's eyes. Before he could analyze it further, the shinigami was already running off.

"Y-yes sir! Thank you sir!"

Hitsugaya just shrugged it off. He didn't have time to worry about unseated officers, knowing that his lieutenant wasn't getting any paperwork done herself.

* * *

The young officer rounded a corner, looking around to make sure no one knew he was there. He had almost gotten caught, but thankfully the ice-demon captain hadn't recognized his hidden aura. Now as he slipped his ghostly form from the no-longer possessed shinigami, he stepped over the unconscious man and opened his specially designed portal (one that could not be detected by the Seireitei's department of research) to Las Noches, happy that he could actually bring his master good news this time. News on the whereabouts of two specific vampires.

* * *

Tada!!! Chapter 4 over!

(1)The reason Hichigo couldn't pull the sword out is because it froze the ground around it. Hitsugaya obviously could because he can control the ice and water in the area.

The authoress collapsed from her computer in joy, finally finishing her latest chapter, (the living gardening hose could be seen dancing around in the background) and decided that dealing with her muse at the moment would not be enjoyable. So, before Ishida could reenter her room for another 'you're procrastinating! Get the story done!' nagging session, she bolted her door, laughing in triumph when the handle started shaking but would not give.

* * *

"Dammit! Did you lock yourself in here again?! I just came to bring you food!!"

"Liar! I know what you where going to do!!"

"What could I possibly do that would make you need to lock your door to prevent me from coming in?! What in the world have I ever done to you to make you not want me to come in?!"

"TALKED!"

"What?!"

"THERE IT IS AGAIN!!!" Hysterical giggles could be heard from inside the room as the realization hit the Quincy.

"Dammit! Who gave you sugar?!"

"Raoul!! Fetch me another!!" Before Ishida could react, the gardening hose shot out from beneath the door and through the Quincy's legs, going who knows where to get more sugar.

A/N: It's true! Any time I have large amounts of sugar it's like crack to me! (Although no one knows why) But that's why I dare not drink coffee or energy drinks, for fear that my head or other heads may explode!!

Now it's the REAL end of the Chapter! =^_^= Thanks for reading and don't forget to review please!! =^_^=


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